Forget the cold, Yankees have bigger concerns to worry about with Giancarlo Stanton, poor starting pitching

We are closing in on the last week of April and the Yankees have yet to play an outdoor baseball game in pleasant weather conditions, minus the ski masks. So is that the primary factor in their rather desultory start? Will all be right with them as soon as the sun comes out and the temperatures climb above 50?

I know the Yankee high command would like to believe that, ignoring the fact the Red Sox and Mets have played almost as many games under equally atrocious elements but are both off to the best starts in their franchises' histories. So just because they've been enveloped in cold and misery, and the season is not even a month old, it is not too early to have some genuine concerns about the Yankees.

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Let's start with Giancarlo Stanton since that's where most of the Yankee fans' wrath has been focused. The big guy is off to a horrendous start as a Yankee, his batting average hovering under .200, his strikeouts exceeding his total bases. There are many theories for this, starting with the cold. "You have to remember the guy has played his entire career in Miami," a veteran baseball person said to me the other day. "He's not used to playing every day in rain, snow and sub-40 temperatures. It's no accident two of his three homers were the ones he hit on Opening Day in the dome in Toronto. He'll come around as soon as the weather warms up."

The same person, however, offered another perspective. "He's also never played a relevant baseball game in his life. It's a whole different environment in New York and the Yankees, where every game is relevant, not just to the front office but to the fans. It's going to be a period of adjustment for him. He's probably trying too hard right now, overswinging, trying to carry the team. He needs to just relax."

Giancarlo Stanton continues to struggle at the plate. (Elsa/Getty Images)

A scout who's had the Marlins as one of his teams for the past few years said he expects Stanton to go on a tear before long, but cautioned the expectations. "The guy is a great hitter and there are times when he'll look like the greatest hitter that ever lived," he said, "but he's also very inconsistent. With all the hype attached to him coming over to the Yankees, this isn't Jose Altuve or Mookie Betts. This is a power hitter who can go into long slumps and you wonder how he'll fare when and if he gets to the postseason for the first time."

(Think Dave Winfield, Alex Rodriguez?)

Of course, nobody is thinking about the postseason now as it's nearly six months away and a lot, especially injuries, is sure to happen. Still, the biggest question about this Yankee team returning to the postseason — the starting pitching — remains unanswered. After three weeks, Yankees pitchers rank 24th in the majors in ERA with the 18th worst batting average against (.243), their No. 2 and 3 starters, Masahiro Tanaka and Sonny Gray both sporting ERAs over 6.00. We're hearing the whispers again — that neither of them like pitching to Gary Sanchez — but nothing's going to change there.

Sonny Gray has a 6.92 ERA in three starts so far this season. (Winslow Townson/AP)

It would appear Larry Rothschild has his work cut out for him, getting this rotation straightened out. What's problematic is, if the starters continue to falter or someone gets hurt, there is no one presently in the system ready to adequately fill the void. Inevitably, Brian Cashman, who has the chips, will have to go outside to get a starter, but the pickings — the Tigers' Michael Fulmer, the Royals' Danny Duffy, the Padres' Tyler Ross — are slim, and nobody's ready to deal yet.

We hear the plaintive cry from Yankee fans — "wake us when winter's over" — and maybe in a week or so it will be. In the meantime, it is advisable not to look at the standings. That 16-2 Red Sox record is not a mirage. They may just be that good.